LOCATION EARLE                   AR

Established Series
Rev. LBW
04/2017

EARLE SERIES


The Earle series consists of very deep, poorly drained, very slowly permeable soils that formed in clayey and loamy alluvium. These soils are on the flood plains of the Mississippi River and its tributaries in the MLRA 131. Slope is dominantly 0 to 3 percent but ranges to 6 percent on narrow ridges within the flood plain.

TAXONOMIC CLASS:

TYPICAL PEDON: Earle clay--cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 6 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay; moderate fine and medium blocky structure; firm; many fine roots; few fine and very fine pores; few worm holes; few fine soft dark iron-mangangese nodules; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)

Bg--6 to 29 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) clay, moderate medium blocky structure; firm; common slickensides; few fine roots, few fine pores; old roots channels filled with very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay; many medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron accumulations; few fine dark iron-manganese concretions; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (16 to 30 inches thick)

2Cg--29 to 47 inches; variegated gray (10YR 5/1) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam; structureless, massive; friable; few fine roots, few fine pores; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (12 to 36 inches thick)

2C--47 to 60 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very fine sandy loam; structureless, massive; very friable; common medium distinct gray (10YR 5/1) iron depletions; moderately acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Cross County, Arkansas; 1.5 mile west of Gieseck, SE1/4NW1/4NW1/4, sec. 5, T. 6 N., R. 5 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of solum and depth to the contrasting loamy sediments ranges from 20 to 36 inches.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 1 or 2. A horizons with value of 3 are typically less than 6 inches thick. Texture is silty clay loam, silty clay or clay. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to slightly acid.

The Bg horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is clay or silty clay. Reaction is strongly acid or very strongly acid. Iron accumulations and depletions are in shades of gray, red, yellow and brown. Slickensides range fron none to common.

The 2Bg horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is silt loam, loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam . Reaction ranges from strongly acid to slightly acid. Iron accumulations and depletions are in shades of gray, yellow, red and brown.

The 2C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 4, with iron accumulations in shades of brown yellow and gray, or it is variegated is shades of gray, yellow and brown. Texture is silt loam, loam, very fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy sand, loamy fine sand and sand. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to slightly acid.

COMPETING SERIES: Earle is the only series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Earle soils are on flood plains of the lower Mississippi River and its tributaries in the Southern Mississippi Valley Alluvium Major Land Resource Area. Slope gradients mainly are less than 3 percent but range from 0 to 6 percent. Areas not protected by levees are flooded for long to very long periods. The soil formed in clayey alluvium 20 to 36 inches thick over the underlying loamy alluvium. The climate is warm and humid. Mean annual temperature is about 61 degrees Fahrenheit, and mean annual precipitation is about 50 inches near the type location.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include alligator, Commerce, Mhoon, Forestdale, Sharkey and Tunica series. Alligator and Sharkey soils are in a very-fine particles class. Commerce and Mhoon soils are fine-silty in the 10- to 40-inch particle-size control section. Forestdale soils are in a fine particle-size class and Tunica soils are in an non-acid reaction class.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; slow runoff; very slow permeability in the clay horizons and moderate in the loamy horizon. These soils are flooded unless protected by levees, especially during the spring and fall months. These soils have a perched seasonal water table within 12 inches of the soil surfacee during wet seasons.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the Earle soils are used for growing cotton, soybeans, small grains, corn, hay, and pasture. A small amount is in bottomland hardwoods. Important commercial trees are cherrybark oak, eastern cottonwood, green ash, Nuttall oak, sweetgum, and American sycamore. Other trees include elm, water oak, hackberry, pecan, and water hickory.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Lower Mississippi River Valley. The series is of moderate extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: AUBURN, ALABAMA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: St. Francis County, Arkansas; 1965.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of about 6 inches (Ap horizon).

Cambic horizon - the zone from approximately 6 to 29 inches (Bg horizon).

Vertic feature - slickensides that do not intersect (Bg2 horizon).


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.